Distinctive reverse view of “the 18” showing the mounted whorls which identifies it as a “Jensen”

During a conversation with Jerry Jensen at “The Spinning Wheel Shop” he told stories about this model. He calls it “the 18” wheel. It was the first wheel model that he built starting back in the 1960’s. It is based on his wife’s spinning wheel that he got for her in 1960. He said that he made refinements based on Elsie Davenport’s book.

Jerry said that he sold the wheels to JC Penny and several furniture stores in the Milwaukee area for $29.99 during the ‘60’s and 70’s. They sold them for $79.99. Some of us can recall that Early American furniture was quite popular then. One of the Milwaukee newspapers ran a feature about Jerry’s spinning wheels. The owner of the Sheboygan Chair company saw this article and offered Jerry the contents of his closed factory. So Jerry said that he borrowed an onion truck, and drove it to Sheboygan to collect chair spindles that would become wheel legs. He said that he made this wheel until the early ‘90’s. So this is probably one of the last of that type.

Underneath, signed, dated and labeled by Jerry Jensen

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